Howdy folks! Today, we will be delving into a critical security vulnerability affecting HCL Domino. CVE-2022-38654 is an information disclosure vulnerability in HCL Domino, where certain local calls made on the server to search the Domino directory will ignore xACL read restrictions. This vulnerability could allow an authenticated attacker to access attributes from a user's person record.
Background
HCL Domino, formerly known as IBM Domino, is a secure and versatile platform for hosting social business applications at a lower total cost of ownership. However, due to the nature of CVE-2022-38654, the platform becomes susceptible to information disclosure attacks that might lead to unauthorized access to sensitive user information.
The original vulnerability report and advisory can be found at the following links
- HCL Support Article
- NVD - CVE-2022-38654
- CVE Details
Exploit Details
In certain scenarios, local calls made on the server to search the Domino directory will ignore xACL read restrictions. This means that an authenticated attacker could potentially leverage this vulnerability to access attributes from a user's person record, even if they do not have the necessary read access privileges.
Here's a simplified example of executing a local call using Java code
Session session = NotesFactory.createSession(serverName, userName, password);
Database database = session.getDatabase(dbServer, dbFilePath);
View view = database.getView(viewName);
Document document = view.getDocumentByKey(key);
The attacker would need to create a session on the server and then use the session to interact with the Domino directory. By exploiting the vulnerability, the attacker could bypass xACL read restrictions and obtain sensitive user information such as usernames, email addresses, phone numbers, or even hashed passwords.
Risk Assessment
The potential impact of this vulnerability is high, as it could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive user information, resulting in possible identity theft, unauthorized access to further systems, or other malicious activities.
A successfully exploited vulnerability could have consequences ranging from minor disruptions and inconveniences to the users and administrators (e.g., exposure of user names, email addresses, or contact numbers) to more severe impacts (e.g., exposure of hashed passwords) that could potentially compromise the security of the entire Domino infrastructure.
Recommendations and Mitigation
Administrators of HCL Domino are advised to take the following actions to mitigate this vulnerability:
Update to HCL Domino 12..1, which includes a fix for CVE-2022-38654.
2. Review and apply proper xACL configurations on the Domino server to ensure role-based access control.
3. Regularly check the access log for any suspicious or unauthorized activity and take appropriate action.
4. Implement regular security audits and checks to ensure the overall security of the HCL Domino infrastructure.
5. Educate and train users and administrators on security best practices and the importance of protecting sensitive information.
CVE-2022-38654 highlights the importance of staying up-to-date with security patches and maintaining a strong security posture within any IT infrastructure. By addressing the vulnerability and following the mitigation steps outlined above, organizations can effectively protect their HCL Domino environments from potential information disclosure attacks. Stay safe and stay secure!
Timeline
Published on: 11/04/2022 21:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 11/07/2022 17:15:00 UTC